HOW TO CLEAN THE GREEN WAY
Give nasty chemicals the heave-ho
So you're doing your bit for the environment - recycling, re-using, buying local produce, walking instead of driving, getting better insulation......there is a long list of changes that can be made to achieve a greener lifestyle, but how many people consider their cleaning products when ticking the green boxes? How much do you know about what goes into your laundry powder or toilet cleaner?Many everyday household products contain ingredients that can aggravate medical conditions such as asthma and eczema. The worst offenders in terms of human health are Sodium Laureth Sulphate(SLES) and Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) Both of which are 'Surfactants' (foaming agents) and at their least toxic - irritants. Chlorine, often labelled as "sodium hypochlorite" or "hypochlorite", Optical brighteners, phosphates, bleach, formaldehyde and the list goes on. This cocktail of chemicals when washed into water systems can have a serious environmental effect on ground water and ecosystems and adds to the problem of premature 'Eutrophication'. A problem arising in lakes and rivers which occurs when too much phosphorus and too many nutrients are present causing algae blooms which in turn use up all the oxygen and block sunlight.
Information on chemicals contained in everyday household products including skin, haircare and make up, is readily available online. Pick a bottle of your usual anti-bac spray, pick an ingredient and type it in.
Ecological Alternatives
Enough of the doom and gloom - the good news is that there are green alternatives ranging from the scientific, to the 'no chemicals what-so-ever' to the beautifully designed and packaged 'Jiffy cleaners' that look so good you want to leave them out on display and smell good enough to eat.Ecover
are one of the leading brands in ecological cleaning and laundry products. Everything they produce is phosphate free; contain no optical brighteners, foam boosters, chlorine or artificial colours and fragrances. They are a good choice if you suffer from any skin conditions related to detergents and you can use them safely with a septic tank.Ecover's green credentials stretch to the manufacturing process and they built the world's first ecological factory, which has a green roof extending over more than 6000m
The range includes Laundry liquid, powder, tablets in a variety of sizes from 1.5L to 15L refills. Washing up liquid in 3 lovely fragrances, again from 500ml to 15L refills. They also produce Fabric softener, household cleaning sprays, dishwasher tablets, floor soap and stain remover and hand soap and shower gel. Ecover also support Wateraid which is an international, non-governmental charitable organisation. Their mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities. Find out more at www.ecover.com
Jiffy Cleaners
Top of the leader board are Method. The company was founded in San Francisco by a couple of guys who didn't like the smell of the fumes left by conventional cleaners after clearing up after raucous parties. After much research they launched Method.Method are 'the people against dirty' with an ambitious mission to Detox Britain's homes with non-toxic cleaning products. Incorporating beautifully designed packaging with a 'clean like heck and smell like heaven' attitude, they are not harmful to people or the environment (or tested on animals). Determined to 'clean up cleaning', Method products arrived recently in the UK after successful years of sale in the US. They have managed to combine the holy grail of being efficacious, green and desirable. Such is their stylish reputation they have been featured in many magazine photo-shoots and people have been known to leave them on display in bathrooms and kitchens - adding to rather than detracting from the elegance of well designed homes. Products range from All Purpose Cleaning sprays, hand washes and bathroom cleaners through to speciality cleaning products for wood, natural stone, granite and stainless steel. New to their range include concentrated Laundry liquid. For more information visit www.methodproducts.co.uk.
BIO D
Among the brands that offer an excellent alternative to chemicals is Bio-D. Bio-D is a U.K, independent, family-owned, no nonsense, ethically motivated company, dedicated to promoting the use of hypoallergenic, environmentally responsible detergents that have a minimum impact on the environment both in their use and in their manufacturing process. Where possible, all raw materials are plant derived and are obtained from renewable sources. They operate a strict policy whereby none of the raw materials or finished products are tested on animals. All raw materials are free from genetically modified ingredients; animal by products and are subject to scrutiny and approval by The Vegan Society, Naturewatch Trust, BUAV and The World Wildlife Foundation. All bottles, containers and packaging contain optimum levels of re-cycled materials and are themselves re-cyclable.Green Science
Ecoballs! Actually no, these amazing, hi-tech alternatives really do work. You can replace regular laundry products with these compact devices. They save on heavy shopping loads and save space. How do they work? Pay attention now - the balls contain a mixture of mineral oxide pellets - some surfactant and some ceramic. Surfactants are an ingredient contained in all detergents, although the ingredients are obviously eco-friendly. The surfactants work to lower the surface tension of the water molecules, enabling them to wet the clothing fibres more easily. The Ceramic pellets ionize the water molecules, with the ions drawing the dirt away from the clothing fibres. The Ecoballs also contain anti-re-depositing agents to prevent the dirt from resettling on the clothes.The other great thing about them is that you don't need to use softener and you can by-pass the rinse cycle on your machine as no rinsing is required - saving water and energy.
Sounds expensive? The RRP is £9.99 for a pack of 2 ecoballs, a set of refill pellets and a tube of stain remover. Each set of refills is reusable for 150 washes and once they have run out you simply refill them.
Other products made by Ecozone include Tumble Dryer Balls, Magnoballs and other Eco friendly gadgets. For more information visit www.ecozone.com
Chemical Free Cleaning
Micro Fibre Clothes - The brand leader of these is E-Cloth. Again, this sound too good to be true. A cloth you can clean with without any chemicals whatsoever - just water? But having put them through their paces in my 'well used' kitchen, there is a reason they are market leaders. It's all to do with the fibres in the cloth and how it's made. Each E-cloth has an extraordinary 480,000 strands per square centimetre. Every special E-cloth fibre is 1/100th the width of a human hair. It is this, together with the wedge shape of each individual fibre that gives the cloths their remarkable cleaning capability and their high absorbency. E-cloths will last you a long time - at least 300 washes guaranteed. E-cloth will save you money, by reducing your use of household chemicals by up to 90%. It's estimated that this could be a saving of up to £100 a year for an average household. So even with a fairly hefty price tag of around £4.99 per cloth it's money well spent.There are less expensive micro fibre clothes available, when purchasing, look for the number of strands, and the number of washes. It's a good indication of how effective the cloth will be.
Soap Nuts
My personal favourite! These inconspicuous looking shells of the soap nut berry (related to lychee) contain a natural soap substance (saponin) which can be used to clean not only laundry but dishes, vegetables, kitchens, pets and much more! In India and Nepal they have been using them for centuries to wash their clothes.So how do they work? The soap nut shells release the Saponin when they come into contact with water. The Saponin then circulates as a natural surfactant which reduces the surface tension of the water, aiding it in freeing dirt, grime and oils from clothes.
Essentially this is how chemical detergents work. How do use them? You pop 5 or 6 into a bag if they come with one. If not, a sock (tied at the end) will do just as well. They'll last for about 5 washes (depending on the temperature). Soap nuts are highly recommended for those with allergies or sensitive skin. They are 100% natural, free of synthetic chemicals and are hypoallergenic and fully bio degradable. You don't get much greener than that!
Ecover, Ecozone and Soapnuts are all available to buy from KMC in Sparkford.
